Charles Ayume, Chairperson of the Health Committee of Parliament, has called on Uganda’s security and administrative structures to play their full role in combating the persistent theft of government medicines, warning that continued negligence is costing lives in communities.
Speaking in an interview, the Koboko Municipality MP emphasized that the country already has well-established layers of supervision—from village leaders to national intelligence structures—and that drug pilferage persists largely due to failure in enforcement and accountability.
“There are layers of management and there are layers of supervision,” Ayume said. “We have from the LC1 to the LCV. We have police structures in the community including crime intelligence,” he emphasised.
“We also have the internal security organization structure—from the Parish Internal Security Officer (PISO), Gombolola Internal Security Officer (GISO), to the District Internal Security Officer (DISO).”
Ayume further noted that within the health system itself, there are health unit management committees, in-charges of facilities, storekeepers, and District Health Officers (DHOs), all tasked with overseeing proper drug use and storage.
“With the above structures, drugs can only be stolen if someone is not doing their job well,” he said. “At the end of the day, it is the members of the community that suffer.”
His remarks follow several high-profile incidents in recent years where government medicines—including vital malaria treatments, HIV drugs, and maternal health supplies—were found being sold illegally in private clinics, pharmacies, or smuggled across borders.
In 2023, a joint operation in Busia led to the arrest of several individuals involved in trafficking government-supplied Coartem into Kenya.
In a separate case in Luweero, blood bags meant for public hospitals were intercepted on their way to a private health facility.
Investigations revealed insider collusion between health workers and transporters.
To Ayume, such incidents expose lapses in routine intelligence gathering and community-level enforcement which he says must be addressed to address drug pilferage.
